Culture and the Condom (Complicated Conversation) [Paperback]

Karen Anijar (Author), Thuy DaoJensen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 082047407X | ISBN-13: 978-0820474076 | Publication Date: September 8, 2005

In the last decade of the twentieth century, the "safe sex" message-advocating the use of condoms to prevent pregnancy and curb the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases-has endured relentless attacks by conservative religious groups who seek to instill doubt and promote an abstinence-only theme in American public schools. The essays in this book provide a stimulating historical and cultural inquiry into the multiplicity of meanings attributed to one prophylactic: the condom. Given the vast array of sexual attitudes toward condom usage within American culture and around the world, Culture and the Condom will provoke readers into examining significant dominant discourses and alternative perspectives by viewing condoms through the lens of cinematic and television imagery, artistic representations, statistical analyses, commercial advertising, and animation.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Karen Anijar is an associate professor of curriculum and cultural studies at Arizona State University. She has a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She is the author of numerous books on curriculum, pedagogy, and popular culture, including Science Fiction Curriculum, Cyborg Teachers, and Youth Cultures and Teaching Toward the 24th Century: Star Trek as Social Curriculum.

Thuy DaoJensen is a doctoral candidate in curriculum and cultural studies at Arizona State University. As the recipient of a Spencer Fellowship, her research focuses on sex education curriculum, along with the narratives of abstinence-only and abstinence-based sex educators.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing (September 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082047407X
• ISBN-13: 978-0820474076
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,143,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not enough to fill a book, March 24, 2006

By 

Robert Smythe (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Culture and the Condom (Complicated Conversation) (Paperback)

I found myself getting bored as I read this book. There wasn't enough new information to keep me interested in reading further. I didn't expect it to be revolutionary, but I did expect the book to hold my interest. I probably shouldn't have expected too much from a book about condoms!

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book on Condoms cover more then just penises, February 27, 2006

By 

Bob Garcia "Bob" (Amherst Ma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Culture and the Condom (Complicated Conversation) (Paperback)

This book (Culture and the Condom) has done something no one else has done, which is to study condoms and sexuality within the larger framework of cultural and gender constructions of consciousness. Unlike the reviewer below I found this book edited extremely well, each chapter deconstructed the elements of condoms and culture in a different and unique perspective. This book has engaged me to rethink my ideas of sexuality relating to culture allowing an alternative discourse to be entered not only into my head but also adds awareness to a larger social field. A must read for any cultural theorist, or anyone interested in condoms, American sexuality and society. Not only is this the first book to examine condoms in a larger setting but also the argument is constructed brilliantly leaving few rocks uncovered.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book on Condoms cover more then just penises, February 27, 2006

By 

Bob Garcia "Bob" (Amherst Ma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Culture and the Condom (Complicated Conversation) (Paperback)

This book (Culture and the Condom) has done something no one else has done, which is to study condoms and sexuality within the larger framework of cultural and gender constructions of consciousness. Unlike the reviewer below I found this book edited extremely well, each chapter deconstructed the elements of condoms and culture in a different and unique perspective. This book has engaged me to rethink my ideas of sexuality relating to culture allowing an alternative discourse to be entered not only into my head but also adds awareness to a larger social field. A must read for any cultural theorist, or anyone interested in condoms, American sexuality and society. Not only is this the first book to examine condoms in a larger setting but also the argument is constructed brilliantly leaving few rocks uncovered.